Inveraray’s “Dream Valley” medley: Liddell, McWhirter, and Henderson analyze the music that sealed the 2025 World Championship – Part 2

We continue with the second and final part of our exclusive discussion with 2025 World Champions Inveraray & District Pipe-Major Stuart Liddell, Leading-Drummer Steven McWhirter and Pipe-Sergeant Alasdair “Ali” Henderson.

The three leaders in Part 1 shared details of the creation of the medley and their analysis of the first two-thirds of the World’s performance.

In Part 2, the group introduces the music of the final segments. While the finale is slower and controlled, it might be the medley’s most inventive and show-stopping part, producing a dramatic and dream-like effect.

We hope you enjoy the discussion of this history-making pipe band medley and performance.

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A transcript of Part 2, with minor edits for written clarity:

Part 2

pipes|drums: Let’s take it from just about that point and resume, and we’ll have a listen here.

[recording plays]

pipes|drums: At that point, it was a thrilling moment for everybody watching, everybody listening, and everyone in the band must have felt quite emotional about the whole thing. Talk about what it felt like at the end.

Stuart Liddell: Yeah, when I heard the initial draft of the finishing piece on practice chanters, I knew right away that it was going to carry off a very emotional effect for the listener, thinking what it would be like at the World’s, and there we were at the World’s doing it. I was actually trying to do the opposite and not get too involved.

Everything was going really well, and all I was focusing on there was to make sure that everybody was solid right to the end. For me, the D at the end of the performance was the sort of real test and hoping that everybody was going to be right with their arm pressure. But it turned out to be good, really good. Yeah.

I think if I let myself get too involved, I could be quite emotional with that, so was trying not to be too much. Yeah.

“There’s never a concern about what judges think. We play the music that excites us, and if they like it, they like it; if they don’t, then there’s nothing you can do. It’s just a human opinion at the end of the day.” – Steven McWhirter

pipes|drums: Well, that’s understandable. It’s not complicated. It’s very difficult to play with the extended, held notes, the fermatas. But were you worried at all that it might be considered too easy? Most bands finish with jigs or hornpipes or whatever – a big, thrilling, high-tempo finish. This was very different. Any concern with the judges?

Steven McWhirter: There’s never a concern about what judges think. We play the music that excites us, and if they like it, they like it; if they don’t, then there’s nothing you can do. It’s just a human opinion at the end of the day.

Stuart Liddell: We do like to explore things, to broaden as best as we can within the parameters of the music. Yes, going into that, we felt it was probably a little bit risky in terms of competition, but I think it’s all about the music, as Ali would always say. We wanted just to explore the music, and that was probably the most important thing for us going into it, win, lose or draw.

In fact, there was also a risk of the medley being over seven minutes, which is the limit. And of course, if you go over that, you’re disqualified. I actually put my neck on the line and said to the team on the Thursday that I would buy everybody a drink if the band medley finished in six minutes and 58 seconds, which it didn’t. Thankfully, I think it was four seconds shorter than that!

pipes|drums: Is it maybe a new era or a different era, put it that way, with more emphasis certainly in the medley and the music? Your performance was flawless technically, but the music seems to be what people are really keying in on. Will there be a new or increased emphasis on music going forward?

Alasdair Henderson: When Stuart mentioned to go a bit broader in the horizons or something, it made me remember that . . . see that final piece” It’s “The Dream Valley,” it’s the reprise of “Dream Valley.” And right at the end, we kind of slow down. And we were going to finish it right there. Do-di-di. The “Lochanside” thing wasn’t in the medley originally. It wasn’t in that original piece.

It came from the previous year, when we were at the Forres competition. Andrew and I had to room together in the hotel. And on the way up the road, I had played them some music from a well-known film score that everybody in the world will know. I’m not going to say it; it’s a well-known film score. He was like, Oh, yeah, I love that. It was the trailer for the movie. And we kept listening to it and listening to it. And the chord pattern is this really, really common thing that you’ll hear in a lot of pop music. It’s not 1-4-5-1, I guess, because it’s minor. it’s whatever the equivalent is in the relative minor of that. And “Lochanside” perfectly fitted over these chords.

And because it started on what we would call, in our language, the “B-minor” word, it gave “Lochanside” this completely different musical feel, because I think people hear that tune as this really happy piece. Most people in the world, if you were to ask them to write harmonies to it, would probably go for a very happy feel. This kind of changed the whole dynamic of how it came across. It made it feel way more epic. And I remember we were up to like three in the morning. This video has probably got 100-million views, and I think we were like 999-million of them. And we just kept singing it. the phone in the air like, da, da, da, singing to each other in the room. I’m like, This has to be it, Andrew. This is the way this medley is going to finish. And then because it was so different, it also, right when we were writing the harmony for the very beginning, that’s why it influenced me to go super major with that side of things. It starts very happy, starts just the way you think it’s going to. And then when it finishes, it’s just a completely different vibe.

There was a lot of thought put into it. But when Stuart said, broaden the musical thing. We always try to do something, find another idea or another way to do things. This year, the ending was inspired by a film score.

pipes|drums: “Cinematic” might be the word for it?

Alasdair Henderson: Yeah, I agree.

pipes|drums: It could fit into a piece of cinema. Well, guys, it’s been a terrific conversation. Congratulations on the success, the fourth World Championship and that medley sealing the deal. The entire piping and drumming world seems to be galvanized by the creativity. It’s really terrific to hear your insights on it. And we will, as always, look forward to the next step in what Inveraray & District comes up with. It’s been a pleasure. Thanks very much.